If there is one thing that I ask my wife to make more than anything else, it’s her particular take on banana bread, zucchini bread falls in at a close second. To be honest, I’m a sucker for just about any bread that features nuts or vegetables… Or beer. The combination of flavors, textures and the aroma that fills the house while these breads are baking is something that really can’t be described, but belongs in every homeowners manual under “the first thing you should do to break in your new home.”
Apparently our friend Naomia feels the same way. She’s heading off on a tour of duty in Japan, and the one thing she asked my wife to make for her before she left was banana bread. You won’t hear any complaints from me. I’m glad she asked for it, because I, as the resident food blogger, get a mini-loaf all to myself.
As a matter of course, all of our mixed, kneaded or otherwise manipulated products have been handled in our very trusty K.A. mixer. Tonight’s foray into baking got me thinking that perhaps I could use my own cooking-specific mixer. In that bent, my guy-ish instincts are pulling me towards the Hamilton Beach Eclectrics Mixer, mostly because it just looks cooler.
The other reason I’d prefer to have my own Hamilton Beach Stand Mixer is that I tend to abuse my cooking equipment a bit more heavily than my wife does, and I would prefer to leave hers pastry-fresh, rather than one that has been tainted with cooking oils or other ingredients that are harmful to the care and feeding of doughs and other bakery-type stuff that I have no comprehension of.
If I had to give a third reason, it’s because the Hamilton Beach® Mixer is quieter than our existing unit. That means I can actually talk to my wife while it’s disseminating all of the things that I feed a mixer when I’m attempting something unusual. while this might play out as a dismal failure culinarily, it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like my own toys to play with.
Having said that, I’ll let you in on my wife’s recipe. Please do enjoy!

Banana Nut Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 stick margarine (or butter..softened)
- 2 eggs
- 4 medium and ripe bananas
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2/3 cup of sugar
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1 cup chopped nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Combine butter, eggs and bananas. Add salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar. Mix well until all lumps are removed. Add flour. Mix well. Add nuts. Spoon into 1 greased loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 55-60 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 350Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 569mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 3gSugar: 25gProtein: 8g